


the room's hush hush and now is our moment

by wishingonlightning



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-31
Updated: 2017-10-31
Packaged: 2019-01-20 04:42:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12425253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wishingonlightning/pseuds/wishingonlightning
Summary: A scream, followed by roaring laughter draws their attention back to the school and the students meandering toward it. A tall girl with red streaks in her long brown hair is still laughing, head thrown back, as a shorter girl with hair so dark it’s nearly black, glares back at her. The laughing girl ignores the glare directed at her and loops their arms together. Noticing Belle’s gaze, the tall girl winks at her before walking off toward the school.“Crazy bunch, teenagers are,” Moe mutters.In which Belle is the new student, Regina and Emma are bickering idiots, and Ruby smiles at Belle just a tad too much for it to be simply friendly.





	the room's hush hush and now is our moment

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Onthecyberseas](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onthecyberseas/gifts).



> This is for Onthecyberseas! I had fun writing this and I hope you like it! There's some Swan Queen because I can't write a fic without them, but I made sure to give you some Red Beauty.
> 
> Thank you to my beta MaiaRose for looking this over on such short notice!
> 
> I think Teen is too high of a rating for this, but there is some cussing and an innuendo or two, so I thought I'd rate it on the safe side.
> 
> I'm really insecure with writing Ruby and especially Belle, so I hope I managed to do them justice. But feel free to let me know either way.
> 
> Title is from He is We's All About Us

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” Moe asks when Storybrooke High comes into view.

 

Belle stares out window and takes a deep breath before turning to look at her father, and nodding. “I’ll be fine,” she says and is relieved when her smile feels at least somewhat genuine.

 

“Maybe I did the wrong thing. Taking you away from your friends and your home so soon after losing your-” The rest of the words catch in his throat, his eyes shining. He pulls against the curb in front of the school and puts the car in park.

 

“No, daddy. It’s okay. You were only doing what you thought was best,” Belle says softly, resting her hand atop her father’s on the gearshift.

 

He takes a shuddering breath, and wipes at the tears that have managed to escape. “Still… I just don’t know what I’m doing without your mother.”

 

“You’re doing fine; we’ll be fine,” Belle assures, biting back tears of her own.  _ Not right before her first day at a new school _ .

 

“You always were wise beyond your years, just like your mother.”

 

A scream, followed by roaring laughter draws their attention back to the school and the students meandering toward it. A tall girl with red streaks in her long brown hair is still laughing, head thrown back, as a shorter girl with hair so dark it’s nearly black, glares back at her. The laughing girl ignores the glare directed at her and loops their arms together. Noticing Belle’s gaze, the tall girl winks at her before walking off toward the school.

 

“Crazy bunch, teenagers are,” Moe mutters.

 

“Yes, but I should probably go,” Belle says and reaches for the door handle.

 

“If you must,” Moe says and presses a kiss to his daughter’s forehead. Belle leans into the touch before pulling back with a smile.

 

“I’ll see you after school,” she says, gripping the straps of her bag as she steps out of the car.

 

“Yes, you will,” he says with a reassuring smile, and Belle shuts the door and takes her first step towards her new school. 

 

She tries her best to ignore the stares that she feels upon her as she makes her way through the entrance. Being new in such a small town, she must already stick out much more that she had hoped she would.

 

She sees doors to the side of the lobby with a sign labeled ‘Office’ and quickly steps inside. “Hi,” she says to the pixie cut woman behind the desk.  “This is my first day here; I’m-”

 

“Belle French,” the woman, whose name plate reads Mary Margaret Blanchard, finishes with a warm smile. “We are so glad to have you here at Storybrooke High.” She spins in her desk chair, sorting through papers in the drawer behind her. “Aha, here we are.” She turns back to Belle with a small stack of papers in hand. 

 

“Here is your schedule.” She places it on the counter in front of Belle. “And this is a map of the school, although it’s quite small and I have no doubt that you will be finding your way through these hallways without struggle in no time.” Her smile is so genuine and encouraging that Belle can’t help but feel some of her nerves start to recede. 

 

“I very much hope so, Ms. Blanchard,” Belle says.

 

“Mary Margaret is fine,” the woman says. “Now your first class, history, is going to be down the hall to the right. Your locker, luckily enough, is in the same hallway, number sixty-four. Your combination is right here,” she points to one of the papers, “as are instruction on which direction to turn the dial.”

 

Mary Margaret hands the papers over to Belle. “Thank you for your help,” Belle says with a smile.

 

“Of course! If you have any trouble feel free to come see me.”

 

Belle nods at Mary Margaret before making her way back into the noise filled lobby. She takes a deep breath, and sets off to find her first class.

 

Only a few students are inside when she reaches the classroom. “Mr Hopper?” Belle asks the man sitting at the teacher’s desk.

 

“Ah you must be Belle?” he says with a kind smile. Belle nods, giving him a smile in return. “I have a textbook for you here,” he picks up a book resting on the corner of the desk, “and here is a copy of the syllabus. Much of the material has already been covered, but we’ll get you caught up soon enough.”

 

“I hope so,” Belle agrees.

 

“Now there is an empty desk by the window, in the back row, if you’d like to have a seat.” He  waves his hand toward said desk. 

 

“Of course. Thank you, Mr Hopper,” Belle says, taking the textbook and papers.

 

“You’re quite welcome.”

 

Belle walks to the back of the classroom, taking her newly assigned seat. The stares are becoming fewer as students take their seats and turn their attention back to their friends.

 

It’s just as the bell is ringing that another student drops into the seat next to her. “Made it.” She blows her unruly blonde hair out of her face and turns to Belle with a grin. “I’ve heard them muttering about someone new all morning. Thanks for taking my place.”

 

“You’re new here as well?” Belle asks her.

 

“Eh I moved here about six months ago, but you know how it is in these small towns? If you haven’t lived here your whole life you stick out like a sore thumb,” the blonde tells her.

 

“And now I’ll be the center of their focus?” Belle asks with a grimace.

 

“It’s not as bad,” she lowers her voice as Dr Hopper begins taking attendance, “as I’m making it seem. I just know what it’s like to start at a new school that’s so big that no one notices you, but here it’s different.”

 

“Emma?” Dr Hopper calls, scanning the room in front of him.

 

“Here,” Emma answers, raising her hand for a moment before lowering it and holding it out in front of her. “Emma Swan.”

 

Belle takes her hand, smiling shyly. “Belle French.”

  
  
  


She’s on her way to her last class of the day, English, when she hears the raised voices. “Really, Your Majesty? I didn’t mean to bump into you and you know it.” As Belle moves closer she immediately recognizes the speaker as Emma, who’s leaning down to pick up a textbook off the floor.

 

A brunette, the shorter of the pair Belle had seen that morning, snatches the book out of Emma’s hands. “Do I?” she sneers, her dark eyes gleaming. Even being the shorter of the two she somehow manages to seem much more imposing.

 

Emma just grins, not fazed in the slightest by the confrontation at hand. “Yep,” Emma says with a smack of her lips. “You do.” The brunette takes a step closer, her mouth opening to retort.

 

“Regina, we’re going to be late,” a loud voice breaks through the tension consuming the pair. Belle recognises the red streaks in her long hair. “You wouldn’t want to ruin your perfect attendance, would you?” 

 

Regina lets out a breath through her nose and steps back, and as she turns around Emma calls out, “A queen is never late, everyone else is simply early.”

 

There are a few laughs from the small group that has gathered around. Regina glares over her shoulder. “Watch it, Swan,” the taller brunette says. Emma simply chuckles, her eyes twinkling, and she spins on her heel and sets off in the other direction.

 

It isn’t until Belle has made it to her final class of the day and taken her seat that she notices the two brunettes a few rows ahead of her. She focuses her attention on what their teacher is saying, looking away from the two girls.

 

When the bell rings, signaling the end of class, Belle is placing her notebook back in her bag when she looks up only to find a pair of eyes watching her. Her eyes widen and she nervously bites her bottom lip. The girl with red in her hair -- Belle really must start learning names -- is watching her. 

 

Belle turns her attention back to her bag, and when she stands, making her way to the front of the classroom, she notices that the girl is still throwing glances at her. The moment their eyes meet, a wide grin stretches over the other girl’s face. 

 

Belle’s cheeks redden at the fluttery feeling in her stomach, a small smile pulling at the edges of her mouth despite herself. The other girl’s smile grows even bigger at her reaction.

 

“Come on, Red,” Regina huffs, pulling on the girl’s arm and leading her out of the classroom, effectively breaking their eye contact.

 

Belle sighs, still smiling.  _ Red, how fitting _ .

  
  
  


And so her first day melds into her second, and the second melds into a week, and so forth. It is in the afternoon, two weeks into her time in Storybrooke when she gets a text from her father saying he won’t be able to pick her up, and asks if she has a friend she could get a ride home from.

 

Belle quickly sends a message assuring him that she will figure something out. But it’s as the last bell rings that she realizes she has no idea  _ who _ to ask. So she hoists her bag onto her shoulder and resigns herself to walking. It’s not that far after all. 

 

The air is chilly and she wraps her sweater tighter around herself as she rounds the block further away from school. Dark grey clouds line the sky, and Belle picks up her pace. 

 

She’s only made it a third of the way home by the time the first drops of water fall. She shivers as rain runs inside the back of her sweater.

 

A few blocks further and the rain is falling faster, blurring her vision, and she’s so focused on her path home that she doesn’t notice the blue car pulled up to the curb until she’s directly beside it, a loud voice catching her attention.

 

“Hey, new girl!” Belle’s steps falter and she looks over to see Red, whose real name she had learned is Ruby, leaning out of the passenger side window. Belle waves awkwardly, her hair matted to her face, as she tries to fight back a shiver. “Come on.” Ruby motions to the backseat.

 

Belle shakes her head. “It’s alright. I don’t have much further,” she calls out over the rain.

 

“Don’t even try to fight her,” another voice drawls from the driver’s seat, and Belle steps closer to see Regina. “She will pick you up and put you in this car if she has to. Trust me.” Belle senses a story there, but doesn’t want to find out for herself and so she quickly opens the door and slips inside.

 

“So where to?” Ruby asks, turning in her seat to grin back at her.

 

“It’s not far,” Belle assures them as she buckles her seatbelt. “Do you know where Hazel Avenue is?”

 

Regina nods, and signals as she pulls away from the curb.

  
  
  


“She’s not as scary as she seems, you know?” Red says, sitting down beside Belle in the cafeteria.

 

“Who?” Belle asks, before taking a bite of her sandwich.

 

“Regina. I mean, she has the whole ‘scary bitch’ thing down- Ow!” Ruby says, cupping the back of her head.

 

“Serves you right,” Regina says, biting back a smile as she takes the seat beside Red. Belle’s gut clenches as she watches them interact, the subtle way that they lean in toward one another without noticing.

 

“You’re really just proving my point right now,” Red says. She takes a bite of her pizza, the cheese stringing out from the slice to her mouth. 

 

Regina rolls her eyes, and takes a bite of her salad. When she looks back up it’s to see Emma taking the seat beside Belle.

 

“Who said you could sit here?” Regina snaps, her eyes dancing. She stabs her fork roughly into her salad.

 

“Belle, do you mind if I sit with you?” Emma asks with a grin.

 

“Uh-um, go ahead,” Belle says, glancing back and forth between Emma and Regina. Ruby just takes another bite of her pizza and pulls out her phone.

 

“See, it’s been okayed Your Royal Pain In My Ass,” Emma says with a mouthful of cheeseburger.

 

“Oh, don’t bring her into- What did you call me?” Regina leans forward in her seat, her salad forgotten.

 

Emma swallows her bite and takes a drink of her Coke. “Your Royal Majesty,” Emma says, throwing her arm to the side and bowing as well as she can while sitting.

 

Ruby barks out a laugh, but quickly disguises it as cough. The glare Regina sends her proves she wasn’t nearly as discreet as she thought.

 

“Shouldn’t we do something about this?” Belle asks Ruby, leaning in close enough so that only she can hear.

 

“Nah, they do this all the time and they’re both still alive. Plus Regina knows she’ll have Granny to answer to if she actually tries anything,” Red assures her.

 

“Granny?” Belle asks.

 

“She was my mom’s mother. She’s raised me for most of my life, and she took Emma in six or seven months ago. Emma’s my foster sister,” Ruby adds at Belle’s confused look.

 

“Oh, I didn’t know. Emma’s never said anything about it,” Belle says. She glances over at Emma who is snorting at something Regina said and completely unaware of her and Red’s conversation.

 

“She doesn’t like to talk about it. But I do consider her my sister,” Ruby says, raising her voice as she leans closer to Regina, “and I don’t let anyone treat my sister like shit, even if they are my best friend.” She tosses a piece of pizza crust at Regina, and it hits her right in the middle of her forehead.

 

“What do you think you are doing?” Regina turns her anger from Emma to Ruby.

 

“Leave my sister alone,” Ruby says and tosses another piece of crust at her. Regina raises her eyebrow, and grabs her fork, using it to fling a piece of italian dressing soaked lettuce at Ruby.

 

Emma chokes on a fry; Regina stabs her fork back into her salad, looking at Emma with a smirk. Emma throws her hands in the air and shoves back her chair. “And I’m out. Until next time, My Queen.” Emma cackles when Regina flings another piece of lettuce and it lands in Emma’s empty chair. She sends Regina a wink before walking away.

 

Belle looks at Regina to see her biting her lip to keep back a smile, looking in the direction of Emma’s retreating form. Belle can’t help but smile as she watches her.

 

Ruby clears her throat, and Belle jumps, looking at Red only to see her watching her with narrowed eyes. Belle looks down at her lap, quickly running over everything in her mind and realizing what it must have looked like to Red.

 

“I wasn’t-” Belle begins, cheeks red.

 

“Uh huh. We don’t have to talk about it,” Red says, but there’s a sharpness to her normally bubbly voice that has Belle on edge. There’s a protectiveness between Red and Regina that might be more than just friendship, and Belle is quickly realizing that any growing feelings she may have are best left ignored.

 

“I-I better go. I have to stop by the library before class,” Belle lies. Ruby doesn’t say anything, just watches her sadly as she goes.

  
  
  


Belle leaves the locker room the next day, dressed in her gym clothes, and spots Emma standing off to the side of the gym. “Is there something…” Belle begins, stretching her arm over her shoulder as she comes to stand beside Emma.

 

“...is there something what?” Emma asks, head tilting to the side.

 

“Nevermind. It’s none of my business,” Belle says, and she knows she shouldn’t have let yesterday’s conversation at lunch get to her. But all she can think of is Ruby trying to warn her off, and yet every time she thinks of Ruby she can help the butterflies that she feels swarming within her. She sighs, louder than she intends.

 

“Look Belle, I know we don’t know each other that well, but it doesn’t have to stay that way. I know how hard it can be to makes friends somewhere new. So I’m here, if you want,” Emma says with a shrug.

 

“Thank you, Emma,” Belle says sincerely. “I do want that.” The grin that Emma sends her is infectious and she can’t help her own smile stretching across her face.

 

“So what was it you wanted to know?” Emma asks curiously.

 

“Like I said, it’s none of my business, but...is there something going on between Ruby and Regina?” Belle asks.

 

“They’re best friends- Oh, you mean  _ more _ than just friends?” Emma asks, and Belle nods in answer. “Well I sure as hell hope not.” She laughs to herself, before focusing back on Belle. “No, they’re just friends. Ruby’s granny was close with Regina’s grandma, so they’ve pretty much known each other from birth.”

 

“Oh, okay,” Belle says, and her relief doesn’t go unnoticed by Emma.

 

“Why do you ask?” Emma questions, eyes narrowed.

 

Belle takes a moment to gather her thoughts. “I’ve just notice how close they are, and Ruby seems very...protective.”

 

“But if they were?” Emma asks, and there’s a harshness to her voice, a mirror of Ruby’s protectiveness, and that’s when she understands Emma’s questioning.

 

“Oh, Emma no. That’s not what I was getting at. I don’t care if they are together. I was just merely curious,” Belle says quickly, words running together.

 

Emma watches her for a beat longer. “Okay,” she says, and nods. “Okay.”

  
  
  


“Do you want a ride?” Ruby asks, running to catch up with Belle as she begins the walk from school to home. Ruby just grins and grabs her wrist without waiting for an answer. Belle can’t help the thrill that runs through her at the other girl’s warm hand wrapped snugly around her wrist.

 

“Alright, alright,” Belle says with a laugh.

 

Ruby slows her pace, now that she’s certain Belle won’t make a run for it. “And hey, do you want to come over for a little while? Regina’s coming over, and Emma has to stay late but then she’ll be there too.” Ruby looks so hopeful that Belle couldn’t turn her down if she’d wanted to.

 

“S-sure,” she says. “Let me just let my father know.” She pulls out her phone to send the message, and lets her hair fall in front of her cheek, to hide the heat she can feel rising to the surface.

 

“Great,” Ruby says enthusiastically, and leads Belle to Regina’s car.

  
  
  


“So Belle, how are you liking Storybrooke so far?” Regina asks, stretching out on the couch in Ruby’s basement.

 

Ruby rolls her eyes, and chucks a pillow at Regina’s head. “That’s very student body president of you,” she says.

 

“I’m trying to be polite,” Regina says, throwing the pillow back and smacking Ruby directly in the face.

 

“Thank you, Regina,” Belle says. “I do like it here so far. My father grew up here, and he has always wanted to move back.”

 

Despite Ruby’s aversion to small talk, Regina and Belle keep up their polite conversation until they hear someone moving around upstairs.

 

“Ugh that test took forever,” Emma says as she bounds down the stairs and drops her backpack on the floor beside the couch. Much to Belle’s amazement, Emma lifts Regina’s legs from where they’re stretched out on the couch and sits, placing Regina’s feet in her lap.

 

“That’s your own fault. I told you to study, and did you listen to me? No,” Regina says, tapping Emma’s chin with her socked foot. Emma simply grabs her foot, tickling the bottom. Regina screeches and yanks her foot out of Emma’s grasp. “I hate you.”

 

“ _ Sure _ you do,” Emma says, massaging Regina’s calf. Regina doesn’t respond, just smiles and closes her eyes.

 

Belle continues to stare wide eyed at the scene before her. Ruby laughs at her confused look. “This,” Ruby motions to the pair on the couch, “is the real Emma and Regina.”

 

“So,” Belle takes a moment to process, “all those fights at school?”

 

“Fake,” Emma says. “We’re trying to keep her mother from learning the truth.”

 

“I don’t know that they were entirely fake, not always, exaggerated certainly, but not entirely fake,” Regina says. Emma sends her an incredulous look. “As charming as you’d like to think you are, you can be entirely too infuriating.”

 

“But you love it,” Emma says, confidently. 

 

“You overestimate yourself, dear. If you call me Your Majesty one more time-”

 

“You sure seemed to like it last night,” Emma says, and grips Regina’s thighs to pull her further down the couch, allowing Emma to lean over her. “Didn’t you?” Regina’s cheeks turn a light shade of pink.

 

“Uh guys? Other people in the room,” Ruby says, motioning to herself and Belle.

 

“Yes, Emma. There are other people in the room,” Regina says and sits up, but curls into Emma’s side. Emma kisses the top of her head.

 

“Sickening,” Ruby says with a laugh.

 

“And Belle thought the two of you were together,” Emma says.

 

“Really?” Regina asks with an amused smile.

 

Belle shrugs, embarrassed. “I just noticed how close the two of you were, and obviously I had no idea about you and Emma.”

 

“I did wonder…” Regina says, but shakes her head before finishing the thought.

 

“Belle, did you want anything to drink? I should have asked you that sooner,” Ruby says, running a hand through her hair.

 

“Oh, um sure,” Belle says and stands to follow Ruby upstairs. Emma waggles her eyebrows at Ruby behind Belle’s back, and Ruby glares in return.

 

Upstairs, Ruby opens the fridge door. “So we’ve got soda, lemonade, water…”

 

“Lemonade would be great,” Belle says. Ruby pulls the jug from the fridge and takes two glasses out of the cupboard.

 

After pouring their lemonade, Ruby puts the pitcher away and hands a glass to Belle. “So I hate to break it to you, but there is a 105% chance they are now making out downstairs.”

 

Belle laughs. “Somehow that doesn’t surprise me.”

 

They fall into silence for a moment before Ruby says, “Can I ask you something?”

 

“Sure,” Belle says.

 

Ruby bites her lip before releasing it. “I always got the impression that you had feelings for Regina, but you just found out that she is  _ very _ much taken, and with the way you’re handling it I seem to have been way off base.”

 

Belle’s heart beats a little faster. “Why did you think that?” she asks.

 

“I’ve seen the way you look at her, and I don’t know, you just always seem so aware of her,” Ruby says, leaning into the counter.

 

Belle wonders at how Ruby has yet to put two and two together, but there’s something about the way Ruby is slouched into the counter, the way her head tilts down slightly; she’s lost that confident edge that Belle has come to associate with her. Maybe it’s time Belle takes a chance.

 

“I wasn’t watching her,” Belle says.

 

Ruby shakes her head. “But you were always looking.” Belle decides not to point out that there is only one way that Ruby would know that.

 

“I wasn’t watching  _ her _ ,” she repeats.

 

“But if you weren’t, then- Oh,” Ruby says. She stares at Belle waiting for confirmation of what she thinks she knows.

 

“Have you thought that all this time? It never crossed your mind that it could be you?” Belle asks, and sets her glass on the counter.

 

“I didn’t want to hope and be wrong,” Ruby says softly.

 

“Well, you weren’t wrong,” Belle says, stepping in front of Ruby and taking her hand, smoothing her thumb over Ruby’s fingers to stop them from fidgeting.

 

“I wasn’t wrong,” Ruby says, her confidence returning, and Belle only smiles in return. Ruby leans forward, resting their foreheads together for a moment, before pressing their lips together.

 

“I called it,” Emma yells from the doorway, and Belle springs backward. “Regina, I so called it.” She turns and heads back towards the stairs.

 

Rubys laughs and reaches for Belle who comes willing into her arms, and presses their lips together once more.


End file.
